Author Interview: Hannah Heath

Welcome back to Theme: Abandoned!

As I continue to (willingly) go without internet, I’ve conducted an author interview for your enjoyment. I’ve been following her blog for a while now, and a couple of years ago, I wrote a story review for my blog of her first publication.

Please welcome Hannah Heath, indie author of “Skies of Dripping Gold” and “Colors of Fear.”

Welcome, Hannah! It's good to chat with you. I hope you're having a lovely spring. Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hey, Azelyn! I’m so excited to talk with you! Thank you for having me on your blog.

I’m an author of YA Christian Speculative Fiction. My goal is to write encouraging and inspiring Christian fiction that is accessible to the religious and non-religious alike. I spend most of my time reading, writing, or science-ing (that’s not a word, but it should be). I have an intense love for all things nerdy: particularly Batman, Harry Potter, Marvel, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I covet a good cup of chai tea and a serious conversation, but am also always down for copious amounts of sarcasm and nerd references.

Do you prefer mountains or the ocean or both?

Hmmm. That’s hard. I grew up by the beach, but also spent a lot of time camping as a kid. So I’m going to have to go with both, particularly the type of mountain that looms right over the ocean. I want to build a house on one and just admire the view all day. Which is largely impractical and unproductive, but still. That sounds amazing to me.

That does sound amazing. Who are some of your favorite authors? How have they inspired you?

My favorite authors are varied and often change, so I’ll just pick my current main three: C. S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. A weird list, I know. Let me explain: Lewis and Adams encouraged my love of sarcasm and irreverence in fiction (and real-life). Dostoevsky and Lewis taught me that no question is too big or too dark to tackle. And all three of them showed me that strange, honest, out-of-the-box stories, while scary to write, are often the best kinds.

Do you have a writing schedule? If so, what does it look like?

My schedule varies each semester and often has to be very flexible due to College Student Busyness and Lyme Disease Tiredness. However, when a schedule is possible, it usually involves me writing every day at around 10 AM. I write for at least 30 minutes… Sometimes more, but rarely less. I light an incense stick or a scented candle, put on some music (usually electropop or EDM), and fill up a cup of water that I will inevitably forget to drink, then I dive right in.

Can you tell us a bit about your published stories?

For sure! I’ll start with “Skies of Dripping Gold,” which was my first publication. A YA Christian dystopian short story, “Skies of Dripping Gold” is set in an urban world where the air is poison and mysterious elevators all over the city are rumored to take worthy people to Paradise. The main character’s sister is dying from the poisonous air, so he sets off to climb the elevator tower and figure out exactly where it leads, a task that nobody else has ever successfully completed. It’s a very personal story for me, as it deals with topics such as illness and faith struggles.

“Colors of Fear” is the first short story in the YA Christian Fantasy series, The Terebinth Tree Chronicles. It tells the origin story of a young, fearful desert elf who will one day lead a band of assassins to kill the most powerful sorcerer in their world. I’ve been writing The Terebinth Tree Chronicles universe for almost ten years, so I’m excited to get to share it with you all.

How many stories are in The Terebinth Tree Chronicles? Have you set a release date for the next one?

There will be five stories and “Colors of Fear” is currently the only published (or even completed) story. The second one, titled “Flames of Courage,” will hopefully be released on 07/07/18, but I’m not sure. I probably should be, given it’s my story, but I can’t ever tell these things because my life is messy and my thought process is even more so.

Your covers are pretty awesome and vibrant. When did you decide you wanted to design them yourself? How do you choose what kind of image you want for each cover?

Thank you! I’m so glad you like them. I decided to design my own covers when I peeked into my bank account and saw the sad numbers sitting in my checking’s. I’m also a bit of a control freak, so I wanted to be able to design the covers myself to make sure it looked the way I wanted… bright, simple, and eye-catching.

Currently, the process for choosing a cover design is two parts loving symbolism and bright colors and one part having very limited artistic skills. I like each of my covers to showcase an important part of the story (the colors in “Colors of Fear,” the symbolic dripping sky in “Skies of Dripping Gold”) and I try to make sure the colors match the mood/feel of the writing. I also choose images based off of artistic skill: my talents are fairly limited in the drawing realm, so I mostly end up drawing landscapes and silhouettes.

One last question, just for fun. Do with this what you will. Pick three random characters from any of your short stories? Got them? Okay, now imagine they are all trapped in a cave together. What happens?

Oh. So much fun. I’m going with Gabriel from “Skies of Dripping Gold,” Jayel from “Flames of Courage” (she appeared briefly in “Colors of Fear” as the nameless half-blooded she-elf with fiery hair), and Wanderer from “Colors of Fear”:

Gabriel and Wanderer would start hammering on the cave wall while Jayel would make fun of them. Gabriel would get annoyed with Jayel and Wanderer would get annoyed with both of them, so they’d all sit down in separate corners. Then, as time passes, Gabriel would take charge and formulate a plan to get them out. They would all quickly realize that Gabriel’s plan sucks, which would end in a lot of swearing on Gabriel and Jayel’s parts. But, eventually, Wanderer would put his foot down, shut everyone up, and divide up their supplies so that they could survive until somebody finds them. It would end with everybody being good, though vaguely annoyed, friends.

Such a great answer! I laughed.Thanks for the opportunity to chat! (And for putting up with my internet scheduling difficulties.) Have a great week!

Meet the author!

Hannah Heath is an author of Christian speculative fiction, college sophomore, and regular comic con attendee. You can read more about her and her stories on her witty and nerdy blog appropriately named Hannah Heath or hear her talk about books and writing on her YouTube channel.

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Lets chat! Have you read any of Hannah’s story’s yet? If not, what are you waiting for!? Be sure to say hello!

Theme: Abandoned

Poem: Abandoned by Daley Downing

Up next: Writing and Abandoned Projects by Faith René Boggus

Similar posts: Story Review: Skies of Dripping Gold and Author Interview: Lisa Nicodemus Lyons

Author Interview: Lisa Nicodemus Lyons

Meet the author! Lisa Nicodemus Lyons is an indie author, editor, and collector of unicorn tapestries. She is the author of The Alliance series, its sequel the Allegiance series, and a standalone novel, The Hunt of the Unicorn. I was first given a copy of her the first book in her series, In the Palace of Rygia, in exchange for an honest review. Little did I know that a couple months later, I would get the chance to meet her! 

If I were to pick one of my inks to describe Lisa’s novels, it would be Drachenblut (German for “dragon’s blood”). 
While there are aren’t any actual dragons in her novels, the great beasts still play a large role.

Welcome, Lisa! It’s good to have you on my blog. I hope you’re having a fabulous summer. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’ve been a writer/editor/designer for the national office of my denomination for the past 20 years. Prior to that, I worked as a writer and editor for a small-town newspaper. My kids are grown and have their own kids now, so I guess I’m an empty-nester. But my life is so busy, I don’t feel like it’s empty.

What does your writing space typically look like?

I sit on the couch with my feet up and a laptop. If I have music playing, it’s usually Enya. And my little dog Pippin is on the couch at my side. Yes, she’s named for a hobbit.

When it comes to writing, what is your drink of choice?

Vanilla latte or homemade chai. The lattes are homemade too. But they have to be decaf, because I work all day and can only write in the evenings.

Who are some of your favorite authors? How have they inspired you?

C.S. Lewis is at the top of my list. I was introduced to him while I was ill and bedridden many, many years ago. The Chronicles of Narnia got me through a tough time and took my mind to fun places. I remember thinking at the time, “I sure would like to write like him!”

Then came Tolkien, of course, but other favorites are Bodie Thoene, Stephen Lawhead, Carol Berg, and Terry Goodkind. They’ve inspired me through the fantastic worlds and characters they’ve created and the way they draw me into their stories. Ever since I was a kid, my mind has gone to imaginary places, and it was nice to visit such places created by others and escape from the real world for a time.

Thoene is an exception, since her works aren’t fantasy, but I very much loved learning more about real people in real history through her WWII fiction. Her books inspired me to pick up some actual history books and learn even more.

Can you tell us about your books? Where would you recommend readers start?

Definitely start with book 1 of “The Alliance” series, called In the Palace of Rygia. That’s the beginning of a very long, very intense epic. The series takes place mainly in two realms that have been at war for some time. One is a realm of righteous believers who follow the teachings of the God called Eloah. 

The main character throughout the series is a man named Justus Corden, general of the opposing realm, Rygia, and leader of the war against the righteous… that is, until he’s forgiven by a man who dies at his hands. Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler. It happens in the very first chapter. 

From that point on, Justus must wrestle with everything he’s known and believed, and he finds himself trying futilely to reject a call that was placed on his life long ago. Of course, there’s a woman of the righteous realm whom he meets, and there are many other memorable characters that you’ll fall in love with. The main theme throughout the series is forgiveness—especially for an enemy.

If you could meet only one of your characters, who would you pick?

That’s a tough question. Every author’s characters are like his/her children. It’s hard to pick a favorite. One might think my main character, Justus, would be the one, but I believe I’d lean more toward Turek Enfield. Readers won’t meet him until the series that follows “The Alliance.” The series is called “Allegiance,” and it picks up where “The Alliance” left off. I made it a separate series because the main characters are mostly of the next generation, and the adventures take on a worldwide scope rather than focusing on just two or three realms.

Who has been the hardest character to write and why?

Definitely Turek. He’s a bit on the crazy side. Getting inside the head of a crazy person has been quite a ride. But he’s probably the most rounded of all my characters—you never know which way he’ll lean or what he’s going to do next.

What has been your favorite thing about the self-publishing journey so far?

The control I have over everything. And how quickly you can get your books out there. On the other hand, my least favorite thing about it is the lack of advertising and exposure. Most authors are great at writing and lousy at advertising. I’m like those people. But for brand-new, up-and-coming authors who might never get a chance with a publisher, it’s so great to see your work in print (whether digital or paper). These days, you have to be a known quantity before a publisher will give you a second glance. It’s a tough market, especially if your niche is tiny, like Christian speculative fiction.

What one piece of advice would you give to upcoming indie authors?

Don’t let anyone sway you one way or another when it comes to your stories. Keep true to your own convictions and write from your own heart. Don’t try to fit your square peg into the round holes of established publishing. Just because they’re the giants doesn’t mean they’re right. Their decisions are made for the bottom line—money. Or at least the money they think they’ll make. 

I believe the statistics show that only 1 out of 10 professionally published books make good money for the publishers. Others either break even or lose money. That one popular book then carries the others by keeping the publisher afloat. This means that most authors aren’t going to get rich from their work, whether professionally published or self-published, so just do what makes you happy.

And one final question, just for fun. Pick three random characters from any of your books. Got it? Okay, now imagine they are all stuck in a rowboat just offshore of Caledron. What happens?

Oh, it would be so much fun to put in a couple of mortal enemies, like Justus and Letah. Then throw in someone for comedic relief, like Paulus the Fox. Will they kill each other or come to terms? I think in the end, the rowboat bumps against Caledron’s shores with nothing but dead bodies in it. But then, that wouldn’t be picking them at random, would it? I guess I chose them purposefully.

For random characters, I opened my first book to random pages and put my finger down. My characters, thus, are General Rolland Longsword, King Medan, and Justus’ daughter Anna. I suppose if they’re just off the isle of Caledron, Medan would try to pull the boat toward the isle while Rolland tries to pull it away, toward Rygia. Meanwhile, Anna would have to fight against Medan’s advances and lewd comments. Eventually Rolland would knock Medan out, despite the fact that he’s king. So Rolland saves the day and takes them home to Rygia, but he’d be grumbling about their situation the whole time.

Wow! I really like your answers. Thanks again for coming!

You’re very welcome! Thank you for having me!

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You can check out my book review for In the Palace or Rygia here, and you can grab a copy of her books on Amazon!

Say hello to Lisa, everybody! Have you read any of her books yet? If so, which one is your favorite?